Giuliano Bugialli
Giuliano Bugialli’s Foods of Naples and Campania
Bugialli provides a broad overview of the foods of Naples and the surrounding Campania region in this uneven effort. An initial chapter with recipes for basics creates strange bedfellows: Mixed Vegetables Preserved in Wine Vinegar, Homemade Tomato Paste, Candied Orange Peel and the local lemon liqueur Limoncello stand side by side. Campania is famous for its San Marzano tomatoes, and Bugialli provides workable recipes for Classic Neapolitan Tomato Sauce; Garlic Tomato Sauce, Salerno Style; Tomato Sauce, Salerno Style; Vermicelli with Neapolitan Tomato Sauce; and so on. Another Neapolitan classic is pizza, and the chapter on Neapolitan Pizza and other savory breads like a Brioche Ring served with vegetables in the center and Taralli with Fennel Seeds, which, like bagels, are parboiled before being baked, is one of the strongest. In another chapter titled Il Gran Fritto alla Napoletana, Bugialli instructs readers on how to fry Potato Croquettes and celery. A chapter on fish and seafood includes first courses like Spaghetti or Vermicelli in Clam Sauce and second courses such as Fish Baked in a Paper Bag, Neapolitan Style, which calls for parchment paper and not a paper bag after all. The photography is quite attractive, and full-page layouts like the one demonstrating the creation of Sfogliatelle are an informative addition even if seeing two professionals preparing these complex, flaky pastries in a bakery only drives home what a challenge they are for the home cook.
The Foods of Sicily & Sardinia and the Smaller Islands
John Dominis (Photographer)
Charting watery frontiers of authentic Italian cuisine, Bugialli (The Foods of Tuscany) island-hops to observe ancient Roman culinary traditions steeped in encounters with Greek, Phoenician, French, Spanish and other historic trespassers. The galvanic flavors retrieved justify his every stopover. Claiming that Sicily and Sardinia boast Italy’s most varied antipasti, Bugialli offers Swordfish or Tuna Marinated in Aromatic Herbs (lemon verbena, mint, basil, parsley, sage, rosemary, oregano and capers) and Grilled Eggplant in Salmoriglio, a sauce of anchovies, garlic, rosemary and sage. Sicilian Pesto fuses tomatoes, almonds, garlic, basil, parsley and mint. On the tiny island of Favignana, he finds Pasta Baked in a Squid. Some dishes specify homemade pasta, which may scare off many home cooks; Polenta with Sausages, Sardinian Style, asks for 55 minutes of pot-stirring, a long stretch even for old polenta hands. But simple recipes, like Fava Bean Soup with spinach and pancetta or prosciutto, are also offered. Lemon-Flavored Ossobuco with Cannellini Beans from Elba is particularly seductive, as is Chicken with Hot Green Peppers. Expectedly, seafood dishes excel with dishes like Shrimp in Tomato/Caper Sauce and Fresh Tuna in Savory Vinegar Sauce. So too do vegetables (String Beans in Garlic Sauce; Savory Squash Torte). Breads include Sardinia’s classic Carta da Musica (Music Paper Bread). Dominis’s lush photos portray the islands, their marketplaces and traditions with remarkable immediacy.
Bugialli’s Italy: Traditional Recipes From The Regions Of Italy
Bugialli’s Italy is a delicious culinary tour. This well-known chef travels throughout “the boot,” presenting the best dishes from each region. Star of his own PBS television series, Giuliano Bugialli is an expert on all things Italian and all things gastronomic. From Tuscany and Naples to Sardinia and Sicily, the quintessential dishes from each area are all here for your eating pleasure. There are antipasti and desserts; a plethora of pastas, sauces, and soups; delicious risottos and fresh, crispy salads. Bugialli is passionate about his love for authentic Italian cooking, and faithfully reproduces recipes that have been passed down through the generations. In Italy, a meal is a long, lavish affair not to be rushed, and Bugialli’s Italy mimics the structure of a traditional meal: the first chapter is for antipasti; next come soups, pastas, and risottos–right through to final chapter and the last course of dessert. Each chapter and each course reflects the eclectic mix of Italy’s regional cooking. For a main course, Campania offers a Monkfish in Savory Sauce–making good use of this Mediterranean region’s love of fresh fish. From Piedmont, a region famous for its vineyards, Bugialli presents a Rump Roast Cooked in Barolo Wine, a succulent dish combining meat, garlic, nutmeg, and fresh rosemary with a whole bottle of full-bodied wine.
The Fine Art of Italian Cooking
This is considered the definitive cookbook on Italian cuisine, and Giuliano Bugialli is one of the foremost teachers of that country’s revered cooking techniques. Now, this incomparable cookbook has been updated, expanded, and beautifully redesigned. With over 300 recipes, including 30 specially researched for this edition, and 75 detailed easy-to-follow line drawings, this complete revision has made the classic cookbook even better.
Bugialli focuses on the extraordinary range of Tuscan cooking and includes popular recipes from the other regions of Italy. The book’s extensive chapters cover every kind of pasta — fresh, dried, stuffed — breads, sauces, antipasti, meat and fish, poultry, risotti, vegetables, and the wonderful range of Italian desserts — from simple poached fruit to magnificent filled pastries and tortes. Among the dishes are: risotto with spinach; ossobuco with peas; Florentine style polenta with meat sauce; Italian spongecake.
Bugialli has refined and corrected the entire text. The ingredients lists, instructions and cooking times for all the recipes have been improved and clarified, wine lists have been revised, and notes on such staples as olive oil, dried Italian herbs, and cheeses have been updated to reflect the public’s increased knowledge of and interest in Italian cuisine. In its elegant modernized format, loaded with expert advice accumulated in Bugialli’s nearly 20 years of teaching and cooking experience, the revised Fine Art of Italian Cooking will continue to bring the great Italian culinary tradition to the American table.